Window Installer ...VBA(3281b)

Cause

This error message is displayed by the Microsoft Windows Installer engine and is a general error code that indicates a problem occurred during the installation. The following is a non-exhaustive list of known causes for this error:

    * Short file name creation is disabled on the target machine.

    * An InstallScript custom action is prototyped incorrectly.

    * A file is locked and cannot be overwritten.

    * The Microsoft Windows Installer Service is not installed correctly.

    * The Windows Temp folders are full.

    * The setup was corrupted after installation and, therefore, fails with this error during uninstallation.

    * An older version of InstallShield Developer is being used.

    * A general error occurred during the installation.

    * Print and File sharing is not installed or enabled when installing MSDE 2000.

Resolution

The following solutions have resolved this error in the majority of cases:

   1. Make sure short file name creation is enabled on the target machine. You can check to ensure that the target machine does not have short file name creation disabled by navigating to the following registry entry:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem

      Make sure the value "NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation" is equal to 0. This indicates that short file name creation is enabled. A value of 1 indicates that this functionality is disabled. You should change the value to 0.

      After modifying this value, the target machine should be rebooted before attempting to launch the setup again.

      Note: If the target machine should normally have short file name creation disabled, it can be disabled after the install completes by resetting "NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation" to 1 and rebooting.

   2. If an InstallScript custom action is included in the setup, make sure the function is prototyped correctly. An example of a correct prototype is:

          export prototype MyFunction(HWND);

      Note: HWND must be specifically referenced in the prototype. All InstallScript functions called via custom actions must accept a HWND parameter. This parameter is a handle to the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) database.

   3. If a file is locked, the "InstallValidate" action is responsible for detecting this and displaying a dialog asking you to close down that particular application. Make sure the "InstallValidate" action is listed in the Execute sequence by following these steps:

         1. Select the Sequences view.

         2. Expand the Installation folder.

         3. Expand the Execute sequence.

         4. Make sure that the InstallValidate action is listed after the CostFinalize action and before the InstallInitialize action.

         5. If the InstallValidate action does not appear in the sequence, right-click on the CostFinalize action, select Insert, and select the InstallValidate action from the list of standard actions to add it to the sequence. Make sure that you have selected Standard Actions in the Actions drop-down box to list the standard actions.

            Note: In addition, make sure the FilesInUse dialog appears in the Dialogs view within the InstallShield Developer IDE. If it does not appear, create a new sample project, export the FilesInUse dialog from the sample, and import it into the existing project.
   4. To ensure that the Windows Installer Service is properly installed and configured, it is recommended that users install the file InstmsiA.exe on Windows 95/98/Me or InstmsiW.exe on Win NT systems. These files are shipped with your InstallShield product and are located in the following location:

      <Product Path>\Redist\Language Independent\i386

      Note: By default, <Product Path> is the installed location of the product, e.g., Program Files\InstallShield\AdminStudio\3.5\Developer or Program Files\InstallShield\DevStudio.

   5. Empty all temporary folders. The specific temporary folders for a machine can be determined by accessing the DOS prompt and typing set. Note the values listed for TEMP and TMP, and delete all files in those locations.

   6. Make sure no other applications, including utilities such as virus scanners, are running in the background. Close all running applications and utilities, and launch the installation again.

   7. If this error occurs during uninstallation, use the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp utility to uninstall the installation.

      Once the installation has been successfully uninstalled, you can then debug the project to determine what caused the original error.
   8. Upgrade to the latest version of InstallShield, as this error has been known to occur more frequently in older versions. Additional information on the latest version available can be found at the Products and Solutions page.

   9. As this is a general error code, a more specific error may have occurred earlier in the installation process. Verbosely logging the installation can provide further information about the error's cause. Identifying the original error that occurred can help narrow down to the specific source of the problem. Additional information on logging an installation can be found in the following Knowledge Base articles:

      Basic MSI projects: Q104807 HOWTO: Logging an MSI Installation

      InstallScript MSI (formerly Standard) projects: Q105237 HOWTO: Logging an InstallScript MSI Project
  10. Install and/or enable Print and File Sharing.

      It may be helpful to scan through the log file and identify any errors or warnings that may have occurred prior to error 1603. Additional information on errors and warnings that may appear in the log file can be found in the Windows Installer Help Library be searching for that particular error code.
  11. In the Property table, there is a property called ISSCRIPT_ENGINE_VERSION. This is set to the IsScript version by the build engine. This version is compared to the version of idriver.exe on the target machine and if iDriver.exe is less than ISSCRIPT_ENGINE_VERSION a failure occurs. Verify that the version of ISSCRIPT_ENGINE_VERSION is less than or equal to the version of iDriver.exe. If its greater than iDriver.exe, a newer version of the InstallScript engine must be installed on the target machine.

    Note: iDriver.exe is located in appropriate version folder found in \Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver.